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דְּרַע

𐤃𐤓𐤏

dᵉraʻ

H1872 noun

SILEX Entry

Root זרע to be strong, to arm, to sow (originally may have expressed a sense of extending or reaching)

Definition

Forearm or upper arm, often used to denote physical arm or by extension strength or power; frequently refers in context to the arm of a being (human or deity) that acts, exerts force, or accomplishes a task.

Semantic Range

forearm, upper arm, arm (anatomical), power, strength, agency, limb (of animal), instrument of action

Root / Etymology

Aramaic form of the Hebrew root זרע or a cognate root related to זרוֹעַ (zᵉrôaʿ), meaning 'arm.' In Aramaic, דְּרַע and its variants regularly denote 'arm' in both literal and figurative senses.

Historical & Contextual Notes

דְּרַע appears exclusively in Aramaic sections of the Hebrew Bible (e.g., Daniel, Ezra), corresponding exactly to Hebrew זְרוֹעַ. In these texts, it describes both human and divine arms, particularly in metaphors of might or agency. The term can be physical—as in limbs of animals or people—or metaphorical, referring to acts of deliverance or power, as in 'the arm of YHWH.' Later, in Rabbinic Aramaic and other Semitic languages, the same term continues to denote the arm or strength. English translations usually render it generically as 'arm,' but in context it can denote what is accomplished by an arm—strength, force, or agency—especially when attributed to a deity. It stands in contrast with related terms like יָד ('hand'), which is more general and not always associated with might or agency.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

(Aramaic) corresponding to זְרוֹעַ; an arm; arm.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

זרע (z-r-ʿ) — strength, arm, extending, arming

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H2220 זְרוֹעַ in an outstretched arm
H2221 זֵרוּעַ sown produce
H2232 זָרַע let me sow seed
H2233 זֶרַע in their seed
H2234 זְרַע in seed of

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H1872-01 וּ/דְרָע֖וֹ/הִי uderaohi AC/Ncfpc/Sp3ms and its arms and his arms 1

Occurrences in Scripture

1 total occurrence

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H1872-01 Daniel 2:32 וּ/דְרָע֖וֹ/הִי uderaohi AC/Ncfpc/Sp3ms and its arms and his arms
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